Château La Commanderie

Plaigne, France

Château La Commanderie in Plaigne is one of the rare Cathar castles still inhabited. La Commanderie was built in the 12th century by Guillaume de Plaigne, a Cathar Lord, who took an active role in the massacre of Avignonet and afterwards joined the besieged stronghold as a member of the garrison, along with his brother, at the famous siege of Montségur.

In the 16th century, Barthelemy de Plaigne extended the château. It was sold the Knights of Malta (The Knights Hospitaller) in the 17th century. In the 19th century, the chateau belonged to Mr de Nicol, who modernised the building, and it remained in this family for a century, the last descent being Vilolette de Ferluc.

Today, the imposing castle retains its original spirit of an ancient medieval castle, but modernised to create a family home. It has been beautifully decorated by the current artist-owner and her family, creating a grand but comfortable setting for a holiday, family or company event.

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Château La Commanderie, Plaigne, France
See all sites in Plaigne

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)

More Information

catharchateau.com
www.catharcastles.info

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Capitole de Toulouse (55,9 km)
Basilica of St. Sernin (56,4 km)
Musée des Augustins (55,5 km)
Notre-Dame de la Daurade (55,8 km)
Pont Neuf (55,6 km)
Church of the Jacobins (56 km)
Toulouse Cathedral (55,2 km)
St. Mary Magdalene Church (46,2 km)
Mirepoix Cathedral (11,3 km)

User Reviews

Famille Pou Chab. Alef. (8 months ago)
En cette période si particulière je repense à nos vacances ...We had such a good time last year at the “Commanderie” with the all family. The place is just so peaceful and beautiful. I hope we will be able to come back as soon is possible for a nice event with all our best friends.. Vivement la prochaine rencontre!,
Jen Connell (2 years ago)
Dream wedding venue and perfect family holiday stay! The chateau is gorgeous with plenty of indoor and outdoor options for a large wedding. We stayed for a full week and enjoyed the generously sized pool and grounds. With the chateau and cottage there's room for 28 people. Rebecca was fantastic and helped us find wedding vendors and local suppliers. Mirepoix is 10/15 mins away by car with all the amenities you could want, shops, pubs, restaurants etc. Looking forward to our next visit!
cherry thatcher (2 years ago)
Great venue for a diy wedding weekend.
Thiebauld WildRoses (3 years ago)
I photograph a lovely english wedding there, gorgeous historic location, big park, beautiful outdoors. Couple was very happy !
Margaret Eveleigh (3 years ago)
Beautiful chateau set in beautiful surroundings. Perfect to celebrate our daughters marriage. We used outside caterers, photographer, hairdresser and florist who made the day perfect. Family and friends all enjoyed themselves. The chateau is very close to Belpech which is ideal to purchase groceries. It is also about 15mins away from Mirepoix which has a fantastic Monday market.
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Glimmingehus

Glimmingehus is the best preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. It was built 1499-1506, during an era when Scania formed a vital part of Denmark, and contains many defensive arrangements of the era, such as parapets, false doors and dead-end corridors, 'murder-holes' for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other forms of death traps to surprise trespassers and protect the nobles against peasant uprisings. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 2.4 meters (94 inches) thick and the upper part 1.8 meters (71 inches).

Construction was started in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand and stone-cutter-mason and architect Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1506.

Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

On site there is a museum, medieval kitchen, shop and restaurant and coffee house. During summer time there are several guided tours daily. In local folklore, the castle is described as haunted by multiple ghosts and the tradition of storytelling inspired by the castle is continued in the summer events at the castle called "Strange stories and terrifying tales".

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